Teacher Voyeurism Incidents Frequent, Multiple Areas in Japan Ban Private Cell Phones in Schools

(CNA Tokyo, July 6) In recent years, a series of incidents involving teachers secretly filming students have occurred in Japan, prompting many local governments to strengthen campus management and successively introduce new regulations prohibiting teachers from bringing private cell phones onto school grounds. However, some emergency response groups are concerned that if teachers do not have communication devices at hand, it could hinder immediate rescue efforts in the event of a student's sudden emergency.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that these new regulations stem from the exposure of teacher groups sharing secretly filmed footage of female students that began last year.

Seven teachers and former teachers from areas including Nagoya City, Tokyo Metropolis, Kanagawa Prefecture, Hokkaido, and Okayama Prefecture are suspected of secretly filming female students in changing rooms, sharing the filmed images in social chat rooms, and even using generative AI to create deepfake images of child pornography, leaving comments to share their experiences with secret filming. Six of them have already been convicted.

Following the incident, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology issued a notice in July last year, requiring local boards of education to strengthen preventive measures, including enhancing teacher training and conducting regular campus inspections. However, Nagoya City went a step further, banning teachers from bringing private cell phones into classrooms and prohibiting the use of private cell phones to film students just two weeks after receiving the notice. Subsequently, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, and Yokohama City have followed suit.

Yokohama City previously had a rule that "private devices are generally not allowed to be used for official duties," but the new regulations further strengthen this, stating that private cell phones are "not to be brought onto school grounds."

Although some teachers have expressed that it has become less convenient for their work as they were accustomed to using their phones to take photos of activities and create class communications, educational authorities state that this is for the protection of student safety, and most teachers understand and cooperate.

However, the Japan AED Foundation recently presented a different perspective. The foundation pointed out that if a student suddenly suffers cardiac arrest, teachers need to report it immediately and use an AED and perform first aid according to the instructions of the fire department's command center. If teachers are completely prohibited from carrying communication devices, valuable golden rescue time may be lost. Therefore, they urge schools to at least provide communication tools that can contact the outside world at any time.

To balance student safety and emergency response, various regions have also introduced corresponding measures. For example, Nagoya City and Yokohama City have installed intercom systems between classrooms and teachers' offices. For off-campus excursions, schools provide official cell phones. If official cell phones are insufficient, private cell phones can be used exceptionally, but the camera lens must be covered with a sticker. Hokkaido retains flexibility, with principals approving usage based on the situation.

Sapporo City extensively uses radio walkie-talkies as a means of communication within the school. Whether it's notifying the principal of a visitor's arrival or a parent delivering forgotten items, these can be handled via walkie-talkie. School officials stated that before the popularization of smartphones, schools originally operated using these methods, and therefore believe that even with restrictions on private cell phones, the normal operation of the campus will not be affected. (Editor: Tian Ruihua) 0706

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